Lanxess hails Carlessi’s role in making X-Lite possible
18/06/2013
During retannage, X-Lite involves treating hides with expandable microcapsules that consist of a gas-tight, thermoplastic shell containing a pressurised liquid hydrocarbon. The leather is then heated, causing the microcapsules to expand to up to 40 times their original volume and fill any cavities and loosely structured areas of the hide.
An expansion machine developed jointly with Carlessi is designed to cope with whole cattle hides and the large-scale production of automotive and aircraft leather. Pressure-less steaming ensures uniform expansion and consequently uniform thickness of the leather over the entire area.
X-Lite offers tanners the possibility of working with thinly shaved grain leather that will “fill out” during the retanning process, making it up to 20% thicker. At the same time, it offers an efficient way of reducing loose grain, which tanners say is becoming an increasing problem, especially in the belly and flanks. This applies even if the leather is subsequently laminated.
A thinner grain split automatically means a thicker flesh split, which can then be used for producing higher-quality goods, Lanxess has argued. So, in addition to increasing the area yield of the grain split, X-Lite technology also improves the quality and value of the flesh split.
Leather treated with X-Lite has good structural stability, which in turn improves performance properties. In particular bagging, which is especially undesirable on upholstery covers, can be reduced. And the microcapsule treatment does not impair either water permeability or water absorption.
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